A Wedding and Two Proposals
by MidnightStarlightWrites
Summary: Sequel to Smoulder! Funny. They'd always talked about their future. Even before they got together, during the days where he doubted she returned the love he felt for her, he knew his lady would always be there. So why did it feel like such an epiphany? In which Adrien proposes, but not before a lot of freaking out, and a lot of fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back in the Smoulder-verse! And I'm not even going to pretend this is a oneshot this time around. But it IS tooth rotting fluff, that I can promise you!**

 **All I can say is you can thank the anon on tumblr who asked me "how does Adrien propose?" because they started this whole madness!**

 **^O^**

* * *

A Wedding and Two Proposals

"Ladies and Gentleman, please put your hands together for the Bride and Groom!"

The doors to the reception hall opened and the already dazzlingly bright room (adorned in all manner of vivid reds, oranges and purples) seemed to grow brighter as the happy couple stepped inside to thunderous applause. Adrien jumped, whooping and cheering more loudly than he'd ever done in his entire life. All sense of decorum, all the manners which had been drilled into him since birth, all of that forgotten with an air of _"screw it, my best friends just got MARRIED!"_

And what a wedding it had been. Less than one hundred people and very intimate. Nino had proposed on holiday, taken by a moment of spontaneity and overwhelming love as he'd brought Alya to Morocco, his place of birth. Alya had been so taken by Marrakesh, the golden sun, the energy, the music as well as Nino's extended family, that she had insisted on having the wedding here- foregoing a more traditional French wedding. In her own words, "It's not really our style anyway."

To Adrien, it still seemed so surreal, even as Nino and Alya made their way over to them, looking more blissful than he'd ever seen either of them. The fact that they'd spent a year and a half planning, the late nights, the never-ending list of things to do, all of it leading up to the moment where they'd stood together, surrounded by a pool of lilies, and declared each other partners for life.

"Oh my god," Marinette whispered in his ear and, though he was facing away from her, he could tell she was as close to tears as he was. "They're _married!_ Look at them."

"I know," he replied. Marinette must have heard the wavering in his voice, as she reached down to squeeze her hand in his. The interaction was short lived however, as Nino and Alya finished embracing their parents and he was wrapped in a group hug so tight he was sure to stop breathing. The tears fell freely now as Adrien recalled the countless amount of times the four of them had been like this, the years they'd spent huddled together for reasons both joyous and terrible. It was a beautiful constant in his life.

Speaking of beautiful constants.

As they sat down in their seats, ready for the meal, Marinette already had a tissue ready for him. Adrien turned to her, kissing her softly in thanks. Their eyes met, and once again Adrien found himself taken by the strange kind of energy they shared throughout the day. He didn't know if it was the wedding bringing out his inner romantic, of if something between them had shifted as they watched their best friends of ten years get married. Whatever it was it was…different. "I've always got your back, Kitty," she uttered, snuggling closer to him.

Adrien smiled to himself. She did. She really did.

Like most of the day, the meal passed by in a blur of emotion, laughter and tears. The parents and siblings got up throughout the meal to share embarrassing stories, sing songs (most of which were actually written by Nino) and show cute photos of when Alya and Nino were children. Then came the first dance, which was a mashup of various upbeat dance numbers from their teens. Another tradition was eschewed as Nino and Alya flipped, kicked, sashayed, and generally owned the dance floor- further cementing their status as coolest couple ever.

It would be a miracle if their dance didn't go viral.

"Marinette, please tell me Adrien hasn't used all the crying tissues yet," Louis popped his head between them later on, his shoulders shaking and tears streaming down his face, when Nino and Alya eventually succumbed to a slow dance. "Nathanael ran out."

"You're the one who keeps crying!" Nathanael called out as he flopped down across the table from them, offering a little wave in greeting.

Marinette arched an eyebrow, "You know how much of a cry baby he is, and you didn't pack enough tissues to withstand the flood?" she giggled despite the incredulous tone she attempted to keep, her fingers brushing against her neatly pinned hair. Placing her hands in her purse, she found a spare pack of tissues and handed it over to Louis. "Honestly Nath, I'm disappointed in you. You call yourself Louis' husband?"

"Aha! See? Told you _amore!_ " Louis winked at Adrien, who tried to hide his smile.

"I can see you laughing there, Banana-Brain," Nath poked his tongue out at Adrien, who put his hands up innocently. "Luckily weddings put me in a good mood, else I'd be warning the happy couple that marriage is a mistake."

Louis gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. In the space of a breath, he'd dropped the tissues and hurried over towards Nathanael, scooping him up in his arms bridal style. "Well I suppose it's time to convince you how much of a good husband I can be then. To the dance floor!"

"Louis! Put me down!" Nathanael laughed, squirming in Louis' hold. "I take it back, you're the best husband ever, I was just teasing."

"I cannot hear you, I'm going deaf in my old age," Louis' voice became comically loud, his throat croaking as if it'd suddenly gained twenty years extra use. "We have become an elderly married couple you see?"

"Hmm, definitely heard the sound of his back clicking," Marinette chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows at Adrien. For some inexplicable reason, this made him feel hot under the collar and he shifted awkwardly in his seat. He'd thought he was used to her eyebrow wiggles now.

Apparently not.

"You're not old, you're twenty-six!" Nathanael rolled his eyes, flicking Louis' nose and shooting Marinette a reproachful look as she buried her perfectly made-up face in Adrien's shoulder, pretending to be scared of Nathanael's wrath and totally oblivious to the way Adrien felt his heart flipping dangerously. What was _wrong_ with him? "And don't you encourage him, Mari!"

"Forgive me, I still can't hear you. What was that? I'm totally sex?" Louis yelled ever louder, causing most of the guests in the nearby vicinity to turn and stare in amusement or roll their eyes. "Why thank you darling husband, you aren't so bad yourself!"

"LOUIS!"

"Ugh you two are so gross," Alya grinned, almost floating over from the edge of the dance floor. The train of her silky white dress floated around her as she walked, the soft layers looking how Adrien imagined clouds would if they moved like ocean waves. "Get out of here already before you make me puke."

Nino followed behind her, his off-white suit jacket slung casually over one shoulder and looking more like a model than Adrien, who still did dabble in the occasional photoshoot from time to time. "Babe, it's not like we're much better. We did smooch in front of, like, eighty-five people."

"Heck yeah we did!" she cried, and the pair shared a high five as they sat in the seats reserved from them, right next to Adrien and Marinette's.

"Sometimes I wonder how I got mixed up with all you crazy people," Nathanael sighed, no longer making attempt to leave Louis' hold. "Guess I'm just a sadist."

Adrien laughed outright at that. "Please, like you're much better Tomato Head. You're the one Indiana Jones-ing it around Asia with Lou."

Nathanael was silent for a moment, jokingly glaring at Adrien before wrapping his arms tighter around Louis' neck. "I thought we were going to dance, honey?"

Louis beamed. "As you wish!"

"You know that counts as a win, right?" Adrien poked his tongue out in triumph and, were it not for the presence of the Bride and Groom, he was pretty sure he would have been flipped off for that comment. Alya had jokingly made a rule that nobody was allowed to swear in front of her dress.

"And I guess that's another euro in the Princess Bride jar," Nino wiggled his finger at Louis. "You're going to beat Adrien at this point."

"THAT MOVIE IS A CLASSIC!"

The six of them froze for a minute, caught between staring at both Adrien and Louis, both of whom had yelled out in protest.

Then the laughter began.

* * *

Eventually the reception room became too hot, flooding with warmth as more and more guests spread to the dance floor. Adrien followed Marinette out onto the balcony, the cool evening air kissing his heated skin as he squeezed his hand in hers.

The balcony was wonderfully quiet, offering spectacular views of the garden, with the lily pool and stone arches lit by hundreds of lanterns. Each small light reflected on the surface of the pool, making it seem as though they were surrounded by starlight above and below. Moonlight bathed Marinette's skin, caught the light of the pearls on her dusty-red dress and made the tiny flowers in her hair glow.

Adrien couldn't breathe as he watched her lean against the railing, sighing in contentment.

"You know," Marinette chuckled sweetly, "I'd like to think that everywhere I go, there's a balcony where Chat Noir can show up whenever he wants to bug me."

"I do no such thing. If anything, you're the bug, Bugaboo." Was he talking? Were there actual words coming out of his mouth? Probably not coherent ones.

Marinette scoffed, flipping around to rest her back on the stone ledge of the balcony, careful not to knock over a nearby flower pot. " _Purr-lease!_ For the past seven years you've been a constant thorn in my balcony's side. Not that I'm complaining however," she giggled as Adrien wandered to over, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her neck. Seven years. That was a long time to be with someone, wasn't it? "I'm merely thinking of my _paw_ balcony."

"Purr-lease? Paw? You know Maribug, I think I'm rubbing off on you," Adrien smiled gently as she reached up to brush her fingers against his neck, right where his bell would have been.

"Well you know what they say about cats rubbing on things," she countered and Adrien pulled away just enough to see the playful quirk of her lips. He blushed.

Seven years.

Seven years was a long time to be hopelessly in love with someone. Ten years if you count the three years they'd spent mutually pining for each other (Plagg still won't let them live it down).

"Me-ow," he purred, pulling her closer, only to have Marinette roll her eye and push him away by his nose. A classic move.

"Easy there, Kitten! We can't start canoodling-"

"Cat-noodling!" Adrien interrupted cheerfully, needing to say the pun as soon as it came to him. Marinette laughed, the sound perfectly at home on such a beautiful night. Adrien couldn't ever remember feeling more serene, not even on the morning he'd woken up holding her for the very first time, in their very first apartment, all those years ago.

Six years was a long time to live together. Six years was a long time to share a life together.

 _But I want to spend longer than that with you,_ he thought as he watched Marinette scrunch her mouth in amusement at his pun. _I want to spend the rest of my life with you._

Funny. They'd always talked about their future. Even before they got together, during the days where he doubted she returned the love he felt for her, he knew his lady would always be there. It had always seemed inevitable that he would spend his life with her one way or another, grow old with her. The knowledge was so far rooted in his mind, that is was right there alongside information such as _'you need oxygen to breathe'_ and _'you need food to live.'_ For Marinette's love was just as vital, just as important, and it had been since the moment they'd come together on that rainy rooftop what seemed like forever ago.

So… why did it suddenly feel like such an epiphany?

"We can't start cat-noodling," she amended with a hum, totally oblivious to the series of mental car-crashes happening behind Adrien's eyes. "Not yet at least. Not until Nino and Alya leave and we can escape to our suite for something _suite-er_ than dessert- also are you totally aware that I'm owning your butt in the pun department right now? What's the matter _minou_? Champagne make your pun skills weak?"

 _I want to marry you,_ he thought, his mind reeling as the realisation hit, as the floodgates opened. _You're so beautiful and amazing and I'm so hopelessly in love with you and I want to MARRY you and oh no I need to say something normal right now don't I? To make you think I didn't just make a huge life-changing decision? Oh my god Agreste SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING! Don't make this weird!_

"Hnngfff."

Blinking, it took Marinette a few seconds of confusion before she tilted her head back and roared with laughter. "I'll take that as a yes! Should I get you a glass of water?"

Adrien didn't trust himself to speak. Hiding his burning face behind his hands, he nodded three times and Marinette reached past his fingers to press a soft kiss at his temple. On her way back into the reception hall, she passed Nino and offered him a hug for good measure. Watching all of this with glazed eyes, Adrien moved to cover his mouth, afraid that if he didn't then he'd spill his newly-formed secret.

And he really didn't want to do that. It wasn't his night; the attention was supposed to be on Alya and Nino after all. He wasn't about to steal their thunder. No way.

"Sup' bro? You look kinda weirded out," Nino's eyebrows crinkled in confusion as he took in his best friend's appearance. Adrien hurried to appear nonchalant by straightening his suit jacket (a cream colour slightly darker than Nino's) and pull at his soft green tie. The actions seemed stiff and awkward, even to him.

"Weirded out?" he laughed, though it sounded more like the human equivalent of a wheezing llama, so he passed it off with a wave of his wrist and almost knocked the glass from Nino's hand. "I'm not weirded out. Why would I be weirded out? You just got married dude, I'm happy for you!"

"Sure," Nino deadpanned, taking a swig of champagne, which he'd moved further out of Adrien's reach. "That's why you're all jibber-jabbery."

"I am _not_ jibber-jabbery," Adrien protested with a huff.

"You are the literal king of jibber-jabbery," Nino smirked taking another swig of champagne.

"I'm going to ask Marinette to marry me."

Whatever champagne had been in Nino's mouth was now sprayed across the balcony floor. He leaned forwards, coughing and spluttering, and turned to Adrien with a flabbergasted expression. "What the FUCK, man?!"

"Hey! What did I say about swearing in front of my dress?"

The sudden appearance of Alya at the glass door made both young men screech simultaneously, leap backwards and cling to each other. Whatever playful anger had crossed her features was gone as the bride snorted, placing a hand on her hip. "Wow! You know it's true what they say. Couples who've been together forever really do become a double act. I guess I just thought Adrien would have declared it sooner- you know at the whole _'speak now or forever hold your peace'_ bit?" She turned to Adrien and poked out her tongue. "No backsies, Bambi."

Adrien, who had managed to remove his heart from his throat around halfway through Alya's mini-speech and only once he realised she _hadn't_ heard his confession, offered her a weak smile. "Wouldn't dream of it Al."

"Hmm, you better not buddy boy," Alya smirked, sauntering over to Nino whilst gracefully sidestepping the spilt champagne. "Would hate for you to contribute to the homewrecking model stereotype. Anyway, Babe!" She grabbed her new husbands hand, gracefully leading him back inside. "Nanny is looking for you, she wants _another_ picture."

"Of course she does," Nino laughed fondly, laughter which abruptly died the second Alya's back was turned. He swivelled his head around to fix Adrien with a hard stare, mouthing the words _"We will talk about this or you are dead bruh."_

Adrien had just about enough time to mouth the word _"Sorry"_ back (and he _was_ sorry, truly, he didn't want to come across as a copycat, lord knew he knew what that felt like already and didn't wish it on anyone else) before the happy couple disappeared inside. Back they went into a world of love and merriment, a world of promise and hope for the future, a world flooded with sparkling lights.

He was alone, standing half in shadow, looking at the pooling light before his feet and wondering when Marinette would be back. She always brought the light with her.

Leaning back against the railing, Adrien tilted his head to the sky and allowed himself to breathe, letting the weight of his decision settle inside of him, envelop him like a well-loved blanket. His palms curled around the edges of the ledge and he closed his eyes, feeling the coldness of the stone soothe him.

It took some time but slowly, very slowly, his lips curled upwards. From there, the faintest of smiles grew and grew, until Adrien was beaming up at the stars, hoping that they were smiling back, hoping that they would give him luck.

Maybe his mother was up there amongst them, wishing him well.

He took a great shuddering breath, running a hand through his hair and stepping forwards off the balcony rail, repeating the decision in his head over and over. A secret vow.

Propose. He was going to propose. To Marinette.

The fear would come eventually, of that he was convinced. But at that moment in time, a wave of calm washed over him and a soft laugh fell from his lips, echoing in his soul. In that moment, nothing could shake him. It was the right decision after all. One he should have made years ago.

"You look happy."

Adrien looked away from the endless night sky, turning instead to his hopefully soon-to-be fiancée. He didn't think it possible, but somehow her presence managed to make him feel even lighter than he already did; it was as if he could step off the balcony and dance on air.

"Of course I'm happy," he uttered, reverent and so incredibly in love as he held out a hand to her. "I have you, don't I Princess?"

Without hesitating Marinette reached out a took his offered hand, fingers linking through his, and Adrien gently pulled her towards him. Taking the water, which she'd brought him, out of her hands and placing it on the balcony behind him, Adrien stepped closer. His fingers caressed her cheeks and Marinette sighed into the touch; a sigh which melted his insides, a sigh he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.

"You do," she replied, standing on tip-toes so that her lips pressed against his in a sweet kiss. "And I'm not going anyway. 'Fraid you're stuck with me!"

"Nothing scary about that, love bug."

Adrien's hands lowered until he was cradling her lower back, his arms encircling her waist as he held her somewhere between softly and protectively. Though she didn't know it, his responding kiss called to her. With every move, every touch, every soft sigh against her, Adrien vowed to love her forever, promised to propose to her the way she deserved.

 _You don't know yet,_ he thought, pulling away from her to rest his forehead against hers, offering the occasional kiss to her nose. _But you will. You'll see. I promise._

Her responding hums of contentment filled his heart with hope. A part of him, the more romantic part, thought it might be her soul responding to the call of his own, and it _was_ calling her, desperately, wonderfully. It would never stop calling for her, caught in a state of blissful agony, until he heard her reply.

"We should go to more weddings, if it makes you this sappy," Marinette giggled, snuggling under his chin. Adrien rested his head on top of hers, drowning in the scent of strawberry shampoo and home, and sighed.

All he couldn't think was that he was glad she couldn't see the grin which formed on his face at just whose wedding they might be attending next.

"Yeah," he replied. "We should."

* * *

 **I won't be updating this as frequently as I did with Smoulder, as I am currently writing a novel ^^; and I've got my artist/writer fanfic collab with Edendaphne to work on too (It's called When Duty and Desire Meet and I've loved working on it!) I'm a busy bee! Hehe!**

 **Follow me on tumblr midnightstarlightwrites :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**And I'm back!**

 **For those of you who don't know- I was participating in the ML blackout for two weeks. Mainly it was to spread awareness about the art and fanfiction theft going on in the fandom. Unfortunately, I myself have had Smoulder, All That Jazz, and When Duty and Desire Meet plagiarised and put on other sites. It hurt...a lot.**

 **But I won't let people who steal my work get me down ^_^ I made sure the plagiarists had my stolen fics removed one way or another, and I've worked very hard on this chapter so I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"No offense bro, but I am actually going to murder you."

This was the third time Nino had said such a thing in the past hour. At first, Adrien had been rather alarmed by the uncharacteristic threat. Now he, alongside Nathanael, continued to sip their coffee in relative peace.

Well, as peaceful as Adrien could be, given the circumstances.

It was roughly a month after the newlyweds had returned from their honeymoon. Nino had managed to sneak away from Alya once to call Adrien and screech about him dropping 'the proposal bomb' on him. Whilst Adrien had the good sense to feel remorseful over his sudden confession at their reception, he couldn't help but be amused. Once he'd gotten over the initial shock at his decision to propose to Marinette, he'd been dancing on air. Nino, it seemed, had taken on all the stress on Adrien's behalf.

"You keep threatening that, Headphones," Plagg shot back over his plate of camembert, peering at Nino with a raised eyebrow. "I thought being a newlywed was supposed to be a calming time?"

"Oh, hush you," Trixx replied, landing on the kitchen table beside him and fluffing her tail in front of Plagg's nose, much to the latter's protest. "He's clearly just missing his mate."

Nathanael, who was privy to the madness unfolding (considering it was occurring in his own home) leaned back in his chair with a grin aimed straight at Adrien. "Have a kwami meeting," he mocked, "plan a proposal together. Several minds are better than one! Still think that?"

As Tikki snoozed on his shoulder, a tiny bit of drool oozing from the corner of her mouth, whilst Plagg and Trixx bickered on the table and Nino looked on the verge on his fifth mental breakdown, Adrien did indeed admit to having some regrets.

But still, he was determined to make this a worthwhile effort. Ever since Alya and Nino's wedding he'd been thinking of ways to propose, each more romantic and heartfelt than the last. In fact, he was so overwhelmed with ideas that it was hard to decide on the best one. It was as if every idea was fighting to take hold of Adrien's mind, but there were so many ideas that the fight turned to chaos, the kind of fight where everyone gets knocked out in some way, police sirens are wailing in the distance, there was a random fire for no reason…

"Earth to Banana Boy!" Nathanael cried waving his hand in front of Adrien's face and startling him so much he jolted Tikki off his shoulder. She woke up mid-fall and managed to stop herself crashing to the kitchen floor just in the nick of time. "Sorry Tikki."

"It's alright," she yawned, landing next to Trixx and using her tail as a blanket. "Sorry for dozing off! Especially when we have something so exciting to talk about."

Plagg snorted. "Exciting-smiting. He's proposing to Marinette. We all know she's going to say yes. There's no drama. Bor-ing."

"Aww," Adrien cooed, scratching Plagg under the chin, who promptly wiggled out of his grasp with a grunt of disgust. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there, buddy!"

"That… well… I'm not quite so sure that was a vote of confidence!" Trixx winked.

"I know," Adrien winked back. "It's more fun to act like it was."

Whilst Plagg threatened to cough up a fur-ball on Adrien's pillow that night, Nino phone buzzed several times and he picked it up with a squeak. As he read through the messages, his cheeks turned an odd shade of grey, like the colour of a sick elephant, and his eyes widened. When he spoke, his voice cracked. "Guys I don't know how much longer I can keep this a secret from Alya."

"Don't break on me, dude!" Adrien cried, sitting up straighter. "Nathanael isn't!"

It was true that, the second he'd decided to propose, he was also certain that Louis and Alya were to never hear of it. Not once. Alya wasn't able to keep a secret for the life of her, and Marinette was sure to suspect something was amiss when Louis kept crying around her.

"Louis is easier to distract!" Nino shot back pointing a finger at Nathanael as he did so. The latter raised his eyebrow again, and hid his grin of amusement behind his coffee mug. "You know what Alya is like when she smells a scoop."

"Scoops smell?" Trixx whispered to Plagg.

"Depends on the scoop," he shrugged.

"I prefer scoops of ice cream!" Tikki supplied cheerfully, glancing at Adrien's face with a worried expression- and with good reason. The cloud-like feeling he'd been experiencing the past few weeks was declining rapidly as the conversation descended into chaos.

"The point is," Nino interrupted, putting his elbows on the table and running a hand over his face, "she knows something is up. I can't lie to her. It's easy for you Nath, if Louis thinks something is up you can just take your shirt off and you're all clear."

"He's right about that," Trixx agreed with a laugh, flying to Nathanael's hair whilst the latter blushed and ducked his gaze. "I love my Kit but he's very easily distracted where you're concerned. It's a good thing he has such an honourable mate."

"I wonder if I could ask Siri for advice on how to propose?" Adrien mused, staring up at his phone screen as he flopped face-first onto the table, right next to Tikki. A waft of cheese infiltrated his nose and he sat up again in disgust.

It was a suggest he was taking seriously. Maybe he should have just googled _"how to propose_ " and been done with it. Indeed, it would certainly be faster than asking his supposed friends. Although that wasn't as romantic as he hoped to be. He didn't want a generic, google-prompted proposal. He wanted to do something special- that's what kept tripping him up.

The silent, incredulous stares he gained in response to his comment rendered his suggestion null and void once and for all.

Adrien sighed, running his hand through his hair with a frown. He loved the idea of proposing, he was excited to do it. But how? _How_ could he do it? Marinette was his… well, his everything. She deserved the world and then some. How could he give her the proposal she deserved without going too over the top or understating too much? Was there a way to get the best of both worlds?

"I don't know why you're asking such a dumb question, my guy," Nino replied. "I'm gonna help you and all, once I figure out how to get out of the last lie I told Alya. I think she thinks I got some sort of disease on our honeymoon 'cause I've been wigging out so much. Seriously though, I can't keep it together much longer. The last time she asked me what was wrong I panicked and said I thought I was pregnant."

"Oh really? Who's the father?" Adrien laughed which Nathanael choked on his coffee. Plagg mumbled something about being too old to put up with this nonsense, though it was hard to tell what he was saying exactly, due to the massive lump of cheese wedged between his teeth.

Poking out his tongue, Nino rested his cheek on his palm and fixed Adrien with an incredulous stare. "I never thought you would become a deadbeat dad of your own brain baby but here you are, denying its existence!"

"Speaking of brain babies!" Tikki piped up in solidarity with Adrien's efforts. "We really should be helping Adrien plan, shouldn't we?"

Yet again Adrien thanked whatever higher power had eschewed his bad luck once, just once, to allow Marinette and Tikki to come into his life.

* * *

"You're quiet this evening."

It was half a statement, half a question, and it set Adrien entirely on edge.

Snuggled up on their living room sofa, with Marinette's head resting on his chest, Adrien couldn't help but marvel at just how he'd managed to get to this point. The girl he loved beside him, in an apartment they shared, with an engagement ring in his pocket.

Although his friends had tried to giving him the best advice they could, they couldn't do much for him except offer him general advice. He should have seen it coming really, as both of his friends had proposed spontaneously, albeit in different circumstances. Nino had been overwhelmed by his love for Alya whilst on a romantic getaway. Nathanael… well it made sense why he'd proposed to Louis when he did.

After they'd defeated Hawkmoth, Louis had been taken to hospital. They'd managed to cover up his injuries by saying he was a civilian caught up in the huge akuma-fray that was Hawkmoth's final power-bid, where pretty much all of the akuma's of the past (Nathanael included) had been re-akumatised to attack Ladybug and Chat Noir at once.

It was a half-truth, for Louis had been Volpino at the time, and had held off as many of the akuma as he could so that Chat and Ladybug could sneak away and face off against Hawkmoth _"as they were always destined to do,"_ without him. He'd never meant to be a main hero, he was a placeholder, and though others had joined their ranks over the years, had come and gone when they were needed, it was Ladybug and Chat Noir, in the end, that were meant to defeat Hawkmoth together- alone. And defeat him they had.

It was a risky move, one which had almost cost Louis his life. Nathanael, once he'd known Louis was ok, had been so overcome with emotion that he'd proposed at Louis' bedside.

Adrien remembered a lot of tears that day, for so many reasons. Most of them happy tears. He wondered if Marinette was going to cry when he proposed. He hoped, if she did, that it was also for good reasons.

"Kitty?"

Marinette was staring at him, worry etched on her face as she regarded his probably distant expression. He smiled down at her, lightly squeezing her in reassurance, and she relaxed against him. "I'm thinking that's all."

"Thinking?" Marinette teased, prodding his chest. "Now I'm really worried."

"Ha-ha," Adrien retorted drolly, reaching around her waist to tickle her and she squirmed in response. "I've been known to think from time to time. I'm more than just a pretty model with a butt that won't quit you know. Don't stereotype me."

" _Butt_ it's so much fun to," Marinette giggled, dodging out of Adrien's hold when he attempted to tickle her again, jumping off the sofa and heading for the back of the armchair, which was placed neatly between the living room and the doors leading to their own balcony. That was something they'd always liked to include. Since their first apartment, they'd lived in two other homes. Each one always had to have a balcony. It was symbolic.

Adrien laughed, hauling himself off the sofa and stalking towards her with a catlike grin. "Seducing me with butt-puns my lady. That's a new low."

"Hey I'm only trying to get to the bottom of what's going through that brain of yours," she replied, putting on an air of innocence as they circled the plush, white armchair. The sparkle in her eyes, however, was one which was far from innocent and Adrien thrilled at it. The ring box weighed heavier in his pocket with every step. "You going to tell me?"

"Sounds like you're on the edge of your seat, Princess," he laughed, leaping over the armchair without any warning. Marinette squealed, trying to duck under his arm, but he caught her, tugging her towards him and plastering her with butterfly kisses until they were both tangled together in a giggling heap. Trying not to fall, literally, he stopped tickling Marinette enough. The mood calmed, like a lake after the rainfall. The laughter which echoed around the apartment faded to a beautiful nothingness, and a quiet took hold as Adrien brought his fingers under Marinette's chin, softly tilting it up so he could press his lips to hers.

They stayed that way for a while, holding each other, kissing like they had all the time in the world. In that moment, Adrien had a revelation. Perhaps the fourth greatest revelation he'd ever had, right after realising he was in love with Ladybug, understanding that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person, and deciding he wanted to propose to her.

Funny how the best moments of his life always revolved around her in some way. He hoped he did the same for her.

"Come here," Adrien whispered, taking her hand and leading her out to the balcony. It was a cool night, and their apartment was always warm despite its cool-toned décor. The contrast of temperatures swept through Adrien, the breeze almost knocking him off his feet even as the weight of his decision kept him firmly rooted to the ground, as did Marinette's hand in his own.

Marinette followed, a quietly amused smile on her face and god that was so cute that he simply had to kiss her again. It would have been impossible not to. However, as his hands reached up to stroke her arms, he felt the bare skin, the way she shivered, and knew it wasn't anything to do with him. "You're cold," he stated, unzipping his hoodie and shrugging it off without question.

"Not that cold," she replied, holding her hands up to block him from giving her the hoodie and stubbornly shaking her head. Adrien huffed, thinking.

"Ok," he conceded, putting the hoodie back on and opening it wide at the zipper, making enough room for her. "Share?"

She chuckled, stepping into his embrace and Adrien wrapped them both in the hoodie, turning them around so they were facing the city skyline. The sky was a wash of golds, pinks and creams. From a distance, they could see the Eiffel Tower, muted against the early evening sky, its lights not yet awake. Adrien hummed, resting his chin on Marinette's head and earning only a faint, not serious, hum of annoyance from her. Placing a placating kiss to the crown of her head, he snuggled closer, hugging her from behind and making sure he protected her from the crisp air, that he was keeping her as warm as she made him feel every morning when he woke up by her side.

His eyes scanned the city, their city, from the furthest stretch of horizon his eyes could reach, to the cobbled street below them, to the balcony on which they stood. Marinette had taken to growing all manner of flowers and fruit there, continuing the habit from their younger days. The sweet smell of night blooming jasmine (Marinette's pride and joy) filled the air, and Adrien felt a sense of peace, of home, so strong that he wanted to capture it somehow. He wanted to take it and put it in a locket, or in a bottle, make it into something physical that he could look at and touch.

But, deep down, he knew that was impossible. So, he did the next best thing.

"You know," he began, surprised at the softness in his own voice, even as his heart began to thud heavily against his chest, "I always thought that I had to make some kind of grand gesture, but really, all I have to do is speak from the heart, right?"

Marinette looked over her shoulder at him, her bluebell eyes catching the dying light of the sun and her freckled skin glowing. Adrien swallowed thickly, trying not to lose track of his words.

"Speaking from the heart is the best thing anyone can do," Marinette smiled, looking back out towards the city but reaching out of the hoodie a little so that she could clutch his hands and give them a little squeeze. "Grand gestures are fun and all, but I think if people do them too much, it makes them lose sight of the most important things."

"Yeah," Adrien agreed, breathless, as he reached down to kiss her cheek. The most important things huh?

"Adrien is everything ok? Really?" Marinette asked, the question heavy in the air. "You know you can tell me anything Kitty- I'm only saying because you seem sort of out of it."

"Everything's fine Princess," he soothed, reaching up to play with her dark hair, which she wore loose around her shoulders. "More than fine."

Taking a deep breath, Adrien closed his eyes for a moment, allowed himself to soak in what he was about to say, what he was about to do. Sure, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing, it wasn't a grand gesture or anything overly romantic. It was just them. It was them, in their apartment, overlooking the city they protected time and time again. Really, that was enough for him. It was everything he'd ever wanted and more than he'd once ever dreamed of having.

"I love you, you know?" he said, reverent, and he buried his face into the crook of her neck and kissed her shoulder. She responded by leaning her head against his and Adrien felt himself melt at the small, simple gesture. He didn't give her time to say anything else. "Everyone says that this is Ladybug and Chat Noirs city and it is, in a way. The city may be ours but here, right now, with you? Marinette you're my whole world. I can't imagine Chat Noir without Ladybug, and I can't imagine Adrien Agreste without Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"I could make this long and rambling, I could tell you forever and ever, why I think we're meant to be together, how incredibly lucky I am that you knocked me out of the sky that day when we were kids. I could say all of that and more. But I'll do what you said, and concentrate on the most important things." His voice was starting to waver, the skyline was becoming a little blurry under his watery gaze, but he pulled every bit of strength he had into finishing what he had to say. It was too important not to.

Reaching up Marinette's shoulders, he stepped away to tug the hoodie off his shoulders and wrap it around her own. This time she was too busy looking up at him, equal parts moved and puzzled by his heartfelt speech, to pay it any mind. He smiled, sighing a little as he caressed her cheek, as he did as she told him to.

"Marinette you mean more to me that anyone I've ever met. You've given me a home instead of a house, love instead of loneliness, happiness instead of isolation. And I promise, I promise, I promise, I _promise_ , that I'll spend forever, I'll spend all of my nine lives trying to play _cat-ch_ up to you because you deserve it. This city is ours, and you're my world, but you deserve the universe and I'll do whatever it takes to give that to you, to make you happy…but first…"

Oh god here it was. The moment he sank to his knee felt like a dream. How many nights had he laid awake picturing it, whilst Marinette dozed, innocent and unaware, by his side? Now it was real, now it was happening, and Adrien felt like a part of his soul lifted and was watching the moment occur from far away. His limbs felt light, his fingers numb as they reached for the box in his pocket, as he looked back up to Marinette. Seeing her eyes widen and the gasp fall from her lips, lips he'd kissed a thousand times and wanted to kiss a million more, made the realness of the situation come back to him full force. For a second he found himself unable to speak.

"Adrien, oh my god," Marinette breathed. "What are you doing?"

He laughed then, a dizzying laugh because that was just the sort of reaction he thought he'd get from her. Opening the box to her, he held it up a fraction, so she could see, see the ring which belonged to her own great-grandmother (the one Sabine had given him over a year ago, in secret, for _"whenever he was ready"_ ) and know exactly what he was doing.

"I'm doing as you said, my lady, I'm speaking from my heart," he replied. "And my heart is telling me that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not as boyfriend and girlfriend, but as lifelong partners, as-" he stumbled here, choked on his words as his emotions finally caved and tears sprang freely from his eyes- "as husband and wife. Marinette, will you marry m-?"

"YES!" she didn't let him finish, and Adrien found that he didn't mind one bit as she fell to her knees and threw her arms around him. Because he'd just heard her say yes _, he'd_ _just heard her say YES!_ "Yes Adrien of course I will! Of course, I'll marry you! Oh my god. I couldn't marry anyone else, could I? No, it's you, it's always been you!" Her words were frantic, jumbled, and so very her that Adrien couldn't help but laugh again, laugh through his tears of unbridled joy. He pulled away from her to pull them both to their feet, the pair of them crying and kissing all along the way.

"Did you really say yes?" he uttered into her ear, completely in awe, slightly disbelieving even as she nodded.

"Do you want me to say it again?" she replied, equally as muted as Adrien brought her hand to his, slipping the ring onto her finger just as the lights of the Eiffel Tower turned on, and wasn't that a wonderful thing? To have the place of their first kiss shining down on them at yet another pivotal moment of their lives.

It was then that Adrien got his next greatest epiphany of the night.

"I do," he replied, grinning as he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it, the coolness of the silver engagement ring brushing against his cheek as he did so. It felt like kissing her hand for the very first time again. "But not right now."

Marinette blinked, confused. Even through her smile, her giddiness, she had it in her to look a little wary. "Not right now?"

"Exactly, not right now," he confirmed with a nod of his head and a wink. "After all, I know that Marinette wants to marry Adrien. But what about Ladybug? Does she want to marry Chat Noir?"

"And here I was thinking we're the same people," Marinette giggled as she tugged him back into their apartment, heading towards the bedroom.

"Oh, we are," Adrien replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up. "But the rest of Paris doesn't know that, do they?"

Marinette's eyes widened again. "Kitty," she said, "what are you planning?"

He kissed her, slowly, sensually, as he carried her through the threshold of their bedroom, humming in content when his fiancée ( _his fiancée!)_ wrapped her legs around him and buried her fingers in his hair.

Settling them down onto the bed, Adrien rested beside her, nuzzling his soon-to-be-wife as they both admired the ring on her finger. It seemed she was too euphoric to really be concerned with what he wanted to do.

"A grand gesture," was all the explanation he gave before swooping down to kiss her again.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Second Proposal**

 **OfficialLadybug:**

 _I'm banned from the internet for 24 hours! Chat Noir is planning a supurrise and I'm not allowed to know what it is. See ya later Luckybugs!_

l

 **Ladyblog:  
Replying to OfficialLadybug:**

 _EXCUSE ME WHAT?! What does this MEAN?_

l

 **OfficialChatNoir:  
Replying to Ladyblog and OfficialLadybug:**

 _Glad you're already on the case Ladyblog! Now that LB's away, I need your help…_

* * *

"The Ladyblog is down."

Adrien leaned forwards, playfully wrestling Marinette's phone from her. Her feet, clad in fluffy bed socks, pressed against his chest and pushed him backwards. They kept him at bay, at the foot of the bed, where he gave her his best Chat Noir pout possible. "Princess…"

"I know, I know," she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You do realise I'm one of those youths attached to the internet, moulded by it, like Bane in the darkness! It's killing me not looking at stuff!" She levied a pout to rival his and Adrien almost caved then and there. But he couldn't. There was too much at stake.

"Only little longer, Bugaboo. A few more hours and then you shall have your darling internet back," he soothed, sliding up the duvet to cuddle by her side. The early afternoon light streamed in through the window, landing on the engagement ring and making it sparkle. He smiled, not remembering a time when he'd ever felt so at peace, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, with a clear schedule and an even clearer soul...

Even though the memory of Alya's screams (of both delight and anger) still echoed in his mind. To say she'd been unamused at Adrien for hiding his proposal plans until the last minute was and understatement at best.

"You look happy," Marinette replied, snuggling up to him a flopping her arm across his chest. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the headboard with a hum.

The nerves would come eventually. Not from her answer, of course. He knew she'd say yes again. There wasn't a doubt in his head, like there had been the first time he proposed. No- this time it was the grand gesture which made butterflies flutter restlessly in his stomach.

God, he owed Alya _so much_ for helping him set up what she called "the proposal to end all proposals- except for mine." After all the screaming and hugging of course.

It was worth it though. Absolutely. To watch the way Marinette's smile lit up the room, their secret glances over shoulders as they hugged well-wishers, and the way laughter filled whatever room the occupied was worth all the nerves, the cracked ribs from Alya's embrace, and shoulders punched raw with congratulations. It was worth it, to know for sure that they were going to be married soon.

"I am," he replied, tackling her into a tight embrace, delighting in her squeals as he pecked several kisses on her cheek, her neck and hair.

* * *

The crowd was on fire.

Not literally of course, but they might as well have been. Chat Noir could feel their excitement, their endless energy, even as he stood so far above them. Leaning down he could just about make out a familiar set of glowing headphones- the ones he'd given Nino for Christmas. He was the one keeping the anticipation at max, blasting out tunes for the whole city of Paris to enjoy whilst they danced and cheered and waited.

Chat leaned back, dangling his legs over the side of the tower. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back and breathed; allowed himself a moment to soak in the atmosphere. The moment seared into his memory. Smiling, he once again recounted how lucky he was to be here at all, and how it all started with a little ring (and a pair of earrings) in a box.

Was there such a thing as _'best guardian'_? Adrien wondered if Fu would accept the honorary title anyway. Traditions always started somewhere…

When the music lowered and the crowd began to scream louder than ever, Chat opened his eyes. His smile widened further. There was only one person whose presence could cause such a cheer.

Ladybug swung towards him, landing by his side with a practised ease. She offered the crowd a wave, and Nino was greeting her through the speaker system, hyping the crowd to heights higher than even the tower could reach. Chat could hear none of it, his vision and hearing focused solely on the woman in front of him. His heart thrummed in his chest, a steady beat reserved for her and only her.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he stumbled, the catch in his throat matching the way time seemed caught, slowed down by her arrival. The lights on the tower seemed to blink slower, the people below in another universe. Of its own accord, his hand reached for her and their fingers linked together. Chat skimmed his thumb over her finger, feeling what might have been the ghost of her engagement ring. It was there, underneath all the kwami transformation magic. Just like Marinette was. Just like he was, underneath his own transformation.

"Hell of an engagement party," Ladybug grinned and Chat laughed in response, pulling her close. "I'm impressed."

"So, was the _su-purr-rise_ worth the lack of internet?" Chat replied twirling her as they began to dance to a remix of Prince's ' _Kiss'_ , and the revellers below followed suit. He couldn't help but feel smug that she thought this was the surprise and not what he had planned. "Speaking of which, you didn't look at Twitter whilst I was away did you?"

"Twitter's for the birds," Ladybug retorted as she slid under his arm, wiggling her hips, and Chat almost fell off the tower. "And anyway, what kind of a girl do you take me for? I'm a Ladybug of her word!"

"Easy Love-Bug," he soothed, dipping her and kissing her on the nose. "I trust you."

She huffed, bopping him in-between his eyebrows in retaliation to his teasing, and they continued to dance. After a while, as the latest Rihanna song blasted out, she looked down at the gathering below with a frown. "Shouldn't we join the crowd? I feel like we're isolated up here… which is kinda nice and all but, if there was a way to get down there without being mobbed…"

Chat leaned forward to press a quick kiss to her scrunched lips, wanting to erase the frown. "Don't worry!" he winked. "This cat's got it covered!"

Ladybug hummed, quirking her eyebrow in suspicion, but Chat refused to elaborate further. They continued to dance, the songs Nino chose were a mix of modern and all-time favourites. Adrien had a few he'd requested, but ultimately put his faith in the DJ's super-skills.

"What are you thinking about?" Ladybug asked, breathless, after a particularly wild Michael Jackson megamix.

"Nothing much, just-" Chat paused, holding both her hands in his and glancing around. "This is where we first kissed… officially. Dark Cupid doesn't count."

Ladybug's eyes glinted and she pulled him down so his torso was level with hers. "Maybe not to you. I thought it was a great kiss."

He groaned, flopping onto her shoulder. "My lady- I don't rememberrrrrr it and I never will. That way it doesn't coooouuuunt."

"Yes it does."

"I'm pawsitively certain it doesn't."

Ladybug laughed, patting his head. "Does."

"Ladybuuuuuug," he nuzzled into her shoulder, knowing his cat ears would tickle her, and smiled at her resulting giggle.

It was then that the music changed and Chat's heart lurched, pulling him upright. It was the signal, everyone's signal but especially his own.

"Adele? Really?" Ladybug smirked, teasing. "How much did you have to pay Nino?"

"Nothing, 'cause Adele is awesome, though not as awesome as you." Chat wiggled his eyebrows at her, reaching out his hand. "Dance with me."

Despite the light scoff she made, Ladybug stepped forwards and the pair began to sway. The notes of the piano danced in the air alongside them, and even the crowd began to grow more subdued. Chat kept his gaze on Ladybug, knowing she would return. He couldn't resist pulling her closer, but stalled when he heard her sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Ladybug hummed in response, her eyes glossy, and she trailed a finger across his chest. Their slow dancing was almost at a standstill. "Nothing, just caught up in all your sappiness. Not that I'm much better but you know how I am and everything and now I'm babbling and ruining the moment. It's- you know- like you remember this was the first song you played for me on the piano, right? And that's super unfair because we just got engaged and we're dancing in the spot we first _'officially'_ kissed and I'm all nostalgic and love your face and stuff… so… _gah_."

How was it possible that she kept doing, and saying, things that made him love her more? How did he fall in love with her more and more every day? That had to stop, didn't it? There was only so much one heart could take.

"We're starting a whole new chapter of our lives," she went on, and Chat shook his head, stopped himself from leaning down and kissing her before he ought to- if he wanted to stick to the plan that was. "Kinda scary. But in a good way."

Chat swallowed, as the music came to the instrumental. This was it. This was the moment. "Well see, we can't exactly start the whole new chapter. Not when you've only had one proposal. You see…this isn't just an engagement party…"

Ladybug tilted her head in confusion, and Chat bobbed his own, smiling in reassurance. "Look."

He twirled her wrapping his arms around her waist and gently pushing her towards the edge of the beam, motioning for her to lean over the edge. Everything in his body began to churn in anticipation, hoping and hoping and hoping some more. _Please let it have worked, please let it have worked._

As the vocals began again, Chat lowered his lips to her ear, his voice wobbling a little due to nerves, but he managed to keep it steady as he sung the last lines of the song. He squeezed his eyes shut, still praying his plan had worked, until he heard her gasping. "Chat-"

He opened his eyes, and happiness immediately burst inside of him, so strong that it almost knocked him over. He beamed. It had worked!

As they'd arrived to the party, each reveller had been given a large light to shine. Ladybug red or Chat Noir green. They'd practiced and plotted and planned, even with such short notice, and Chat Noir was bowled over by their dedication.

He couldn't see Ladybug's reaction, but he hoped she liked it even as the music faded and he ended his song. Yet the message still remained. There below them, spelled out by the citizens they loved so much:

 _ **LADYBUG! WILL YOU MEOW-RY CHAT NOIR?**_

"I wasn't joking when I said Chat needed to propose to Ladybug too," he said, releasing her and gripping her hand. He dropped to one knee, peering up at her shocked expression with all the love he could muster. "Only I thought this time, I could use some help. That's why I asked you to away from the internet, and why the Ladyblog was blocked for you. Who better to help me than the countless lives we saved together? They're the reason we came together in the first place right?"

Recovering from her shock, tears of joy poured in her eyes. "I can't believe you! You're amazing. You're… so… ugh I tried to give up on calling you perfect when I was a teenager, but you make it super hard!"

Chat grinned. "So, is that a yes?"

"Of course, it's a yes, you silly cat! Now get over here!" she cried, yanking him up and he stumbled upwards into her embrace, laughing as her lips crashed into his and the crowd below screamed. He lifted her, spinning them around as they laughed. Eventually he dropped her, motioning to the drone live streaming them from a good distance away.

Just as the fireworks went off, causing them both to shriek and cling onto each other.

Ladybug blinked, turning a startled expression to Chat. "I thought you had that planned?"

Chat shook his head. "Nope. Must've been a gift from someone. I wonder who?"

Ladybug laughed, kissing him again. "Guess life is full of surprises huh? Although you do realise now we sort-of have to plan two weddings instead of one?"

He could practically feel his cat ears droop, and Ladybug began to laugh harder, pulling them down so they could sit and watch the firework show.

"Yeah…I probably didn't think this one through, did I?"

Ladybug shook her head. "It's not like I'm much better though- _'let's play a game and see if you can find who I really am behind the mask Chat!_ ' that turned out well didn't it?"

Chat nudged her side. "I think it turned out just fine."

Smirking, Ladybug leaned her head on his shoulder. "Did it turn out top notch?"

Chat groaned. "Still never gonna let me live that one down, Bugaboo?"

She turned, gripping his bell, the sparkle in her eyes more beautiful than any firework he'd ever seen. "Not for the rest of our lives."

Chat thought for a moment, the warmth of that promise wrapped around his heart, kept it safe, and he in turn wrapped his arms around her. "Good," he replied, kissing her again as the fireworks above them continued to burst and the revellers below danced and celebrated on their behalf. "Sounds like a _purrfect_ life to me."

* * *

 **That's it for part 3 but don't fret! I am working on both the Ladynoir and Adrienette weddings! Stay tuned!**

 **Thank you to all the people who review, it means the world to me XxXx**


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